Mon Celebrate their National Day

By LAWI WENG

Burma’s Mon people are celebrating their National Day on Tuesday, with one major event, at Bilukyun, near the capital, Moulmein, taking place with the approval of the Burmese military.

Hundreds of Mon, many of them young people, converged on Bilukyun from surrounding towns and villages.

One of the organizers, Min Soe Lin, said the presence of so many young people showed that Mon youth were now getting involved in “national affairs.”

The Mon National Day commemorates the founding of the first Mon kingdom, Hongsawadee.

People don national dress, hold religious observances, donate offerings to monks and perform traditional dances.

National Day was also celebrated quietly by the New Mon State Party (NMSP) at Nyi Sar camp, near the party headquarters, sources reported.

NMSP member Thu Rain said guests weren’t invited because it was feared the function may come under attack by the Burmese military.

The NMSP has come out against the plan by the military government to hold a general election in 2010.

The Mon National Democratic Front (MNDF), which was disbanded by the military after the 1990 election, recently announced its support for the NMSP stand. Min Soe Lin said many Mon people backed the decision not to participate in the proposed election.

At least 10 of the 17 ethnic armed groups are now opposed to the election, according to Col Yod Serk, leader of the Shan State Army (South). Serk said the election would lack transparency and would be marked by cronyism.

Sai Lao Hseng, of the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), said many participants in general discussions on the subject in Shan State, including representatives of the United Wa State Army, were against the election.